Cabinet front frame



March 1, 1949. F. E. BISSELL, JR., ET AL 2,463,238

CABINET FRONT FRAME Filed Aug. 14, 1944 45' hem.' i ww, w N

Afm @www Patented Mar. 1, 1949 CABINET FRONT FRAME Frederick E. Bissell, Jr., and Harry A. Muir, Dubuque, Iowa, assignors to Carr, Adams & Collier Company, Dubuque, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application August 14, 1944, vSerial No. 549,338

Our invention here relates to a cabinet front frame mounting two or more sliding door panels which are adapted to close or open the frame opening. The present frame with assembled panels may be used advantageously with cabinet-s of various kinds, an example thereof being a kitchen floor cabinet or wall cabinet.

It is an object of our invention to provide a cabinet front frame which may be fitted to a cabinet to form a unitary part thereof; which may receive two or more sliding door panels initially or at any subsequent stage; which provides for easy sliding movement of each panel regardless of how affected by atmospheric conditions; and which includes means whereby dirt and small particles accumulating on the lower frame rail will tend to become dislodged and discharged with repeated operation of the panel doors.

These and other objects of our invention, as will more clearly hereinafter appear, may be realized from a frame-door construction of which an exemplication is set forth in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a kitchen floor cabinet equipped with the present front frame; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views through the front frame taken, respectively, on lines 2 2 and 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The cabinet shown in Fig. 1 comprises a counter top 5 and ends E, together with a front baseboard To the opening below the counter top is tted the present door frame which comprises a pair of spaced stiles I interconnecting top and bottom rails and l2. Each rail at its two ends may be formed with a tenon l which interi-lts with a slot I6 formed at the proximate stile end, a pin |'1 or other locking means being used to secure the one to the other. The construction up to this point may be regarded as conventional. A frame of this character, when fitted to the open front of a cabinet, is securely ailixed thereto in unitary relation and when nnished therewith in any of the usual ways appears to -be an integral part thereof.

The top rail is molded with a pair of grooves 20 and 2| separated as by a rib 22, the groove 20 lying forwardly of the other. In the lower rail are formed similar grooves 30 and 3| specially shaped to provide in effect a surface which will aord a line contact for panels A and B, one fitted into the forward grooves 20 and 30 and the other into the rearward grooves 2| and 3|, each supported and guided thereby for sliding move- 1 Claim. (Cl. 20-19') ments lengthwise thereof. As shown, the bottom of the groove 3|] is formed with an angled contour to provide a ridged bead a which extends lengthwise of the groove substantially centrally thereof. A slightly different construction is suggested in groove 3| where we provide a bead b of convex contour. Each form of bead presents an angular or bowed top surface adapted to establish line contact with the bottom edge of the sliding panel that is supported thereon. It is optional whether to use one or both of these forms of beads.

Between the grooves 20 and 3ll a connecting groove 40 is formed in one of the two stiles and between the grooves 2| and 3| a connecting groove 4| is formed in the other of the two stiles. This makes it possible for each panel to be slid to an extreme position in which one vertical edge thereof may enter slightly into the stile groove, thereby making for an improved closure and increasing the area of the opening vacated by that panel. At the end of the grooves 30 and 3|, opposite the connecting grooves 40 and 4|, we provide vertical openings 45 through the lower rail. These openings afford passages through which material collecting in the lower grooves may drop for discharge therefrom.

The depth of the upper grooves 20 and 2| is somewhat greater than that of the lower grooves 30 and 3| whereby to afford for each panel a head 'clearance sufficient to permit the panel to be raised with its lower edge disposed above the bottom rail. In such a raised position, either panel may be pulled out and removed from the frame. For replacement, a reverse operation is employed. The advantage of such facile removal and replacement of the panels is obvious, particularly in case of warping which interferes with movement of one past the other; in that event the two panels may be reversed or interchanged to obviate such a dimculty. For convenience and manipulation each panel may .be provided with a handle means 50, as shown.

In preparing the panel frame for use, successive vpaint coats are usually applied, some of the paint entering into the grooves wherein the panels are to be slidingly fitted. The presence of paint will ordinarily affect to some degree the clearance that is requisite for easy sliding movement of the panels. According to our construction, however, no such difficulty is encountered. This arises from the fact that any excessive paint entering into the lower grooves will settle into the deep corners thereof, far removed from the top surfaces of the beads where the panels are supported in line contact therewith. In use, small particles, such as food accumulations, may settle into the lower grooves, but always they will tend to slide down into the corners away from the panels so as not to interfere with their sliding movement. Whenever desired, a small brush may be applied; to sweep alli such loose particles end'- wise Within each groove. to the discharge opening at its end. In fact, continued sliding movements of the panels will have this same effect. The grooves are to some extent self-cleaning and. act at all times to prevent interference with sliding' movement of the panels which are guidingly supported therein.

We claim; v

A cabinet having a door frame comprising a pair of spaced stiles, interconnecting topy and bottom rails provided with oppositely facing pairs of longitudinal grooves extending lengthwise between the stiles, the bottoms of the grooves in the bottom rail being formed with` integral upwar'dly extended beads; of a. width to extend. from one side wall of the grooves to the other and shaped to provide a narrow surface at the tOi)- most point having downwardlyy and outwardly eX- t'ending surfaces atopposite sides of said top narrow surface to shed accumulation, said bottom rail being.. provided at the ends of the grooves with discharge openingsl extending entirely through the bottom rail, and a pair of panels one slidably mounted in each pair of opposed longitudinal grooves in the top and bottom rails and guided by the side walls of the grooves, each panel having a lower edge resting upon and in engagement with the narrow top surface of the upwardly extended beadf of onegroove in the bottom rail,y whereby a sulc' stantially line contact with the panel is provided to minimize friction, the sliding movement of the doors tending to sweep accumulation to said discharge openings to provide a self cleaning structure.

FREDERICK E. BISSELL, JR. HARRY A. MUIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fileof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name' Dfatef 129,065 Soden July' 16,v 1872 920,158 Kurz May 4., 1909 1,390,377. Ohnstrand Sept. 13, 1'921 1,540,584 Zadorozny June 2, 1925 y1,576,098 Deitz Mar. 9, 1926 1,629,264 Entenman Mayv 17,. 1927 

